"I'm not interested in fashion, generally"

All posts filed under: Fashion Issues

Everyone is freaking out in disgust that Rick Owens sent down a few dick tunics down the runway. Surprising? Nah. What’s surprising is the collective reaction — you type ‘penis’ on Google, the Wikipedia page for the organ is drowned by dramatic headlines of the designer’s show in Paris, like this one: 5 Places It’s OK To Wear Rick Owens’ New Penis Cloaks (VERY NSFW) or Wait—Is This A Penis On The Rick Owens Runway? (NSFW PHOTOS). Glancing through the photos before all the hoo-hah, I barely even noticed. The penis, dangling in all its casualness, peeped shyly from the holes of understated tunics. By no means was it a dick parade. Sometimes it doesn’t even appear at all. You can’t even see it that much in the collection snaps on Style.com. Most of the press coverage has been condescending in trying to understand the point of all this, but I can only laugh and take it lightheartedly. Yesterday, Walter Van Beirendonck also sent down models in normal-looking suits, only pinned on them were butt plugs. If anything, I’m happy that menswear …

I remember getting irritated over Phobe Philo’s seminar at Vogue Festival, and I find it disappointing to listen to my hero failing to further elaborate on some of her extreme statements. One of them was: “I hope that when women wear Céline, they feel good and confident and strong. And I guess there’s a political statement behind Céline, which is that the woman should go out there and do what she wants to do.” Of course. I paid $2000 for that viscose-cotton skirt. I should feel invincible in that Resort 2014 piece. How political. *scoffs* Thing is, like in many political systems of many countries, the Céline woman derives her leadership, power and status from money. I don’t think I buy Céline to be stuck, nor do I think any woman buys luxury goods to stay in and be forced to do things she doesn’t want to do. I buy into what Philo produces simply because she offers something appealing, original, utilitarian and meaningful. But at that interview, what was Philo saying? It seemed like nonsense you throw out …

Perhaps I’m still too naive to assume that designer talks, especially those arranged by a design and arts school, would be permeated with discussions of substantial issues, an open dialogue with challenging questions and prompt a great deal of critical thinking. That was not the case when I attended LASALLE College of The Arts’ talk with the one and only Victoria Beckham. The designer recently visited Jakarta and Singapore as part of her tour to promote the collaboration between her eponymous line and OnPedder. What can one expect out of a talk with her? I’m in no way trying to belittle Beckham, but I am questioning why her coming here was so hyped. I was excited, yes, but I soon recall what Mark Oflaherty wrote, “The urge to post anything and everything linked to a fashion event has become frenzied, hysterical and masturbatory,“ which is true, and is an accurate description of Beckham’s event. Everyone went on a frenzy because Victoria Beckham was in our school. Her arrival was welcomed with a standing ovation, accompanied by an uproar of wows and yeahs over a loud applause. It’s indicative of why …

Yes. This lengthy article is an introduction, but I guarantee you, it will be worth it. I meant to interest both fashion and music enthusiasts. The latter may consider this bullshit, since music ain’t exactly my turf, even if I do cite proper references. It’s happened in the past. But I don’t want to bastardise the epicness that is Bitches Brew, a phenomenal album that has started fights between me and random people at record stores. Plus, I didn’t intend on having a provocative title. But when your subject matter includes a former pantomime-turned-iconic-womenswear-designer and a musician central to almost every movement in Jazz, how could you not? It won’t do any justice. ‘Prada’s A Bitch’ refers to the relationship between the Italian designer and American legend, referencing the latter’s bestselling album, in the focus of the Fall 2010 collection created by the former. When I was writing this, most of my attention had directed towards constructing a mental Venn diagram demonstrating the intersections between the disciplines of music and fashion. Another related article, written about sounds in fashion, is pending to be published. …

When my boyfriend referred to me this article, I certainly recalled my previous post about self-defense in relation to clothing. Thus, this is basically a continuation on how women have the right to stand up and defend themselves. This amazing young Indonesian boy, named Hibar Syahrul Gafur (who’s the same age as my 9th grader brother), has invented an ‘anti-harassment’ shoe. It works like a mosquito racket/zapper: so, any contact with the metal plates will result in a shock of 450 volts. It’s enough to fend off the attacker and paralyze them for a whole two minutes. Hibar has been awarded a gold medal at the International Exhibition of Young Inventors in Malaysia. It really gives me hope when the youth devises incentives for support of human rights. I’m proud for this kid, and I am still quite speechless that a 14 year old boy has manifested his concern into a wearable product for potential mass use. You would expect (at this time) for a young high school student to focus on getting good grades on their …

This is a shout out to all my girl friends, who have constantly been scrutinized about how they’re dressed on a night out, or even go out to the supermarket or show up to school. Because what our society has established is this: a minidress is an open invitation for molestation. A low-cut tank top a ticket to ride. Any item revealing the flesh other than the arms and legs allows others to behave like uncivilized creatures of wanton desires towards the wearer. This is what was conceived at the incident at Clarke Quay just last week, when a female foreign exchanged student was molested by a white man. I knew about it from my classmate, who shared on Facebook a response article. What was more disturbing than the news itself were the countless, bigoted responses from Singaporeans and even expatriates alike. Being a foreign student myself, it’s alarming and distressing to clearly see the reflected attitudes of the very people who surround me. And potentially would be there if I were to go clubbing at Clarke. Yes, …

It’s no longer news that a big fast-fashion brand gets convicted of unethical practices. In the past, the controversy that has spurred between a brand and the general public has been about offenses regarding racial discrimination among, pro-anorexia messages, general insensitivity (of all which had been implicated on Urban Outfitters and American Apparel. Hope they’ve learned their lessons). Copyrights, which are more tricky due to the nature of fast-fashion and knock-offs, have also risen as an issue, fueled by technologically advancing production methods. I would now expect to see the Andy Warhol-stamped dresses from Christian Dior from last March being sold at Bugis Street or Far East Plaza around next month. But now, (thankfully), light has been shed on the issue of ethical treatment of the workforce. This means the conditions of working factories, sweatshops, their pay, their hours, including fringe benefits: pension, life and health insurance. The Rana Plaza garment factory collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh, killed 800, and has definitely increased the pressure on clothing firms. But, it’s likely that a majority of us, especially …